Comp Ticket Not Free for Late Students

Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop, Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form.

From The Hilltop Archives

Originally published in The Hilltop, Howard University — January 31st, 2003

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Comp Ticket Not Free for Late Students

"Students need to stay informed," Blake Carlton, a mechanical engineer from Atlanta Georgia, said.

 

Carlton is not referring to the tuition increase or even the proposed housing agreement for next year. He's talking about the ticket dilemma for the basketball and football games.

 

Carlton, in conjunction with several other students, makes up the well-known "Section 8 Mob." Started in 1998, the "Section 8 Mob" has been the coined the official prep squad responsible for getting the crowd hyped during Bison football and basketball season. In the '98 and '99 seasons, the Bison only won two games in the combined years. 

 

"We still held it down even though the team didn't win. We were still crunk," Carlton said.

 

The problem was raised when students have to pay $6 for a home basketball game. Some students believe that their Student Activity Fee pays for athletic events, but William Keene, Special Assistant to the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, indicates that such is not the case. 

 

"With a gymnasium seating fewer than 3,000 and a student body of 10,000, it is clear that every student is not 'paying' for a game ticket through their fees or tuition," Keene said. "The same is true for a free student event in Cramton. It has only about 1,500 seats. The number of free student tickets is limited and they are complimentary." 

 

Elizabeth Grant, Ticketmaster Box Office Coordinator, said, "Regardless of attendance, Howard still has the same costs, same staff. The only extra may be increased security for homecoming." 

 

Georgetown and Maryland make money off their students by having them pay for basketball and football games. During the basketball season, Georgetown and Maryland sell their men's and women's tickets separately due to the teams demanding schedules. Both their home tickets usually range from $5 to $20 depending on who and where they play.

 

Seating is another factor when computing ticket sales. Howard University lacks the resources and popularity to build the facilities seen at Georgetown and Maryland.

 

The tickets are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Free tickets are set-aside for students, athletes and the visiting team. Of the 10,500 seats in Greene Stadium and 2,800 seats in Burr Gymnasium, more than 52 percent and 58 percent are reserved for students, respectively. This percentage does not include the band, cheerleaders, etc.

 

Keene said, "At the recent Wednesday game against Norfolk State, essentially every ticket was distributed on the normally scheduled date - the day prior to the game, in effect, were sold-out. Students are informed of the distribution schedule personally via their Howard email and by an ad in each Friday's Hilltop." 

 

Keene also points out that the University's current "Strategic Framework for Action II" includes a 10,000-seat arena for basketball and other events.

 

Mr. Keene explanation of Howard selling out the Norfolk game only refers to student tickets and not tickets sold. Students who were unable to pick up their tickets at the Cramton Box Office had to pay for tickets. 

 

Keene said, "The sale of tickets varies from game to game. This past football season, for example, ticket sales revenue ranged from about $4,900 to $65,800 [for Homecoming]. Basketball ticket sales are substantially smaller."

 

Even when Howard sells tickets to registered student, Howard "loses money on the games," said Ms. Grant, "We don't even break even because not all games are well attended. Homecoming bails us out. The Howard-Hampton game is also sold out because it's Hampton."

 

When it comes to a lack of attendance, Carlton blames Howard. "Howard's marketing scheme and advertising is not on the level it should be. It doesn't draw people out to the games," Carlton said.

 

Students may not be happy with the current ticket availability, but, like it or not, Howard has to follow the NCAA. The NCAA sets the number of tickets that should be allocated for student-athletes' guests. The MEAC also has its own rules. For conference games 100 tickets, or 4 percent, are for the visiting team as part of the double-header.

 

The question still remains whether the administration is at fault for not informing the student body, or whether it is the job of the students to know the policies and procedures in place at Howard.

 

"People don't read the fine print. Anybody could understand the decisions if they were explained to the students. We feel cheated," said Carlton.

Keene added, "We're ecstatic when students come out to support our teams, but it's only logical that 10,000 students can't sit in less than 3,000 seats."